He's also highly-rated at the Dragons, where coach Bernard Jackman admitted that he "can't speak highly enough of him."

"I wanted to choose my captain on what I saw when I arrived in the summer and he was the obvious choice.

"With many locks, you get one big carry or tackle. With Cory, you get 80 minutes of consistency.

"He does the hard work, plus we get him out in the wider channels.

"He reminds me of the likes of Donncha O'Callaghan or Donnacha Ryan. They do the unsung work which gives Paul O'Connell, and in Wales' case Alun Wyn Jones, the freedom to do what they do best.

"You don't get many flashy moments with Cory, but you get lots of good moments."

With endorsements like that, it is little surprise that Hill is trusted with calling the lineouts and forming a part of Wales' leadership group.

Given how much the current coaching staff think of the 26-year-old and his leadership skills, the prospect of Hill captaining Wales in the future doesn't seem so far-fetched.

If he is so highly-rated by region and country, then why does Hill not get the plaudits he deserves?

Well, his career path has hardly been all rosy.

He was released by the Cardiff Blues after a handful of appearances, getting his career back on track with English Championship outfit Moseley before the Dragons came calling.

Cory Hill was another to see not a minute of action

Plus that Lions call-up possibly sullied him in the eyes of many rugby fans, quick to lament why higher-profile players had not been selected - missing the point that Hill was brought in because he knew the lineout calls having trained with the Lions at the Vale before the tour.

There were no other options - the plan had always been to draft Hill in to provide injury cover.

However, according to Jackman, he only learned from the experience, rather than let him affect his confidence.

"Cory is comfortable in his own skin so being in that environment wouldn't have bothered him.

"He'd have loved it, learning from the other players and Steve Borthwick.

"Cory's a sponge. You tell him some information and he'll devour it."

So it's no surprise that he has finally started to win praise for his work on the field, with the lock proving to be the perfect fit in Wales' new attacking philosophy.

Hill looks comfortable with ball in hand and is mobile, which allows Wales to play an all-court 15-man game while the Dragons captain has yet to miss a tackle - proving he has the physicality to mix it in the boiler room.

The role he played in Leigh Halfpenny's first try against Scotland showed a player who had not only bought into Wales' new approach, but was forcibly willing to drive things forward from the front.

Facing England at Twickenham was arguably his greatest test so far.

But even on a tough Saturday evening at Twickenham against Lions Test starter Maro Itoje and the outstanding Joe Launchbury, Hill more than held his own.

He claimed seven lineouts - half of Wales' total - and made 17 tackles, with only Rob Evans and Josh Navidi making more.

In a position that can be overlooked when it comes to dishing out the plaudits, Hill received his fair share from fans and press from both sides of the border after Saturday.

Keep it up and maybe those scouring Google for info on UFC legends will be re-routed to the Wales and Dragon battler instead.